Overwatch Free Weekend Begins May 26

It’s no secret at this point that Blizzard’s team-based shooter Overwatch is the publisher and developer’s fastest growing franchise to date, as it has already generated upwards of $1 billion in revenue. With this being the case, it looks like the company is prepared to celebrate the success of the game by offering yet another free weekend for gamers on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, starting on May 26, 2017 and ending on May 29, 2017.

Blizzard officially made the announcement today by way of the game’s blog, saying that it won’t be skimping on the content, as it will be providing Overwatch‘s full roster of 24 heroes and 14 maps available for play in a bunch of different modes such as Quick Play, Custom Games, and the Arcade. Moreover, fans who take part in the upcoming free weekend for the shooter will also have the chance to level up, earn Loot Boxes, and unlock a several different customization options.

Although it wasn’t specifically mentioned in the most recent blog post, Blizzard is undoubtedly making the free weekend for Overwatch available not only as an incentive to get people to purchase the full game, but also to commemorate the shooter’s one-year-anniversary event, which is scheduled to take place between May 23, 2017 through June 12, 2017. While the company has yet to provide fuller details on what the event itself will entail, if previous events such as Uprising are any indication, fans should expect fresh game modes, skins, and more.

Considering the fact that this is going to be the umpteenth free weekend for Overwatch being offered since the game’s release last year, it’s obvious that Blizzard gets solid conversion rates when it comes to fans testing the waters at no cost, which then results plenty of them buying the complete version of the title. Otherwise, the company really wouldn’t have much incentive to provide the free weekends, besides the possibility of it just wanting to give back to the fans. Nevertheless, it’s safe to say plenty of gamers who haven’t tried Overwatch out yet will be looking forward to giving it a go for the first time next weekend.